Lemon Germs - A Must Read

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LEMON GERMS

We just finished reading a story from MSNBC about Lemon Germs. We all know that it is fairly common for waiters and waitresses in restaurants to put a lemon slice on the edge of our favorite drink. But do you really know how these lemons have been handled before they got to the edge of your glass? A professor of science wanted to find out. Her name is Anne LaGrange Loving.

She began her investigation after she saw a waitress’ fingertips dip into her soda as the drink was being brought to her table. Although lemon juice is known to kill germs, she decided right then and there to devise a study to see whether the lemon slices being put on her drinks contained germs.

She used sterile collection swabs, and took two samples from each from 76 lemons that were served on her glass in North Jersey restaurants.

A total of 25 different types of germs were found on 53 out of the 76 lemons that she tested. Some had fecal matter on them(either from dirty fingertips of the restaurant employees, or from meat-contaminated cutting boards and knives), while other types of germs she found are commonly found in saliva, on the skin and in the environment.

One sample had six different microorganisms on it, three of which are found in fecal material. Although some lemon slices had germs either only on the rind or only on the pulp, 29 percent had germs on both sites.

Be sure to read the full report at MSNBC

The full report of the investigation is in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.

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